Fievel Goes South
by TheMidnightStroker
Summary: The continued story from Fievel Goes West. It turns out removing all the cats from Green River may have unintended consequences.


Fievel Goes South

Part 1: Green River

It had been a year since a cat, except for Tiger and Miss Kitty of course, was seen in Green River. However, no one could have guessed that a future without them would be much worse. Without the cats occasionally killing a dozen or so mice with stupidly circuitous schemes, overpopulation took its toll on the once promising town. The mice brought with them disease and pestilence that drove the humans away. The selfish mice realized too late that they depended on the humans to provide a continuous inflow of food, water, and even shelter. Without people escape became impossible as no more trains or wagons went through the town, and they were surrounded by desert in all directions for many miles.

Starvation was a haunting specter in the soon to be ghost town. The only animal capable of catching the occasional snake or scorpion was Tiger. He was the town's only source of fresh food and their only protector, but he also consumed 15 times the amount of the typical adult mouse. However, the resourceful mice again thought of a plan, crude though it may be. The families with the youngest and the weakest children chose to spare their offspring of a drawn-out and painful death. They offered to feed Tiger their precocious babies in hopes of keeping the town alive for a little while longer.

The grim weekly ritual lowered an added veil of depression upon the beaten down townsfolk. The mother would carry their child wrapped in a piece of lace, no doubt remnants of a syphilis ridden showgirl's costume, through the main road to the abandoned dance hall where Tiger and Miss Kitty lived. The child would be placed on the abandoned stage and Fievel's sister Tanya would sing them a final lullaby as Tiger would emerge. Always in tears he would take the head of the young mouse in his paw and with his other paw grab both shoulder blades and with one merciful tug separate the two. He could barely stand eating the newborns. The minuscule pink masses suckled at the air hoping their mother's teat would soon occupy it. Tiger knew the best he could do for them is give them a swift death and use what little meat they had on their bones as strength for the next hunt.

The Mousekewitz family again was desperate for new place to call home. An emaciated Fievel would stare out his window upon the endless wastes that extended out into the cool night. Fievel's eyes felt heavy then suddenly he saw movement and his dulled instincts perked up causing all his hairs to stand on end. He knew something was moving outside, but it was too dark to tell. What is that? He wondered until a switch flipped in his head. "It's a CAT!" He couldn't actually see the creature but his senses screamed out CAT! CAT! CAT! His yelling woke up the whole house, "Papa Papa there's a cat! A cat is here!" Mice poked there head out of every nook and cranny as Fievel ran to his parent's room.

"What are you saying Fievel?" Papa Mousekewitz sleepily inquired. Fievel was gasping for air as he continued to alert everyone that a cat was coming for them. Before long the males gathered together to form a search party and Fievel's sister Tanya was sent out to go wake up Tiger. As Tanya lifted the section of burlap covering the exit to common area of the mouse neighborhood, she unveiled a figure as dark as midnight waiting just beyond the threshold.

"He's here…" Tanya could barley whisper, but everyone's attention was already drawn to the menacing feline.

"Good evening" the cat addressed to his petrified audience. "Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Shadow." The accent of a well bred and fed southern gentleman pierced the silence. "Where I come from we don't look kindly upon time wasters so I will get straight to the point. I have come to look for laborers for work at a plantation."

The mice could only respond with a collective dumbfounded gaze. Shadow took this as a cue to elaborate further. "Now don't be shy, I have come looking for some young workers. My boss is in dreadful need of some more hands down at the plantation, and I have been riding the rails from town to town looking for mice willing to take a little risk to receive a big paycheck."

Papa Mousekewitz drummed up the courage to speak to the strange cat. "How did you say you got here again?"

Shadow grinned as he answered, "Why, the train of course." The mice were again lost in confusion.

Another elder mouse blurted out, "But that's impossible, it's been over 8 months since the last train left town."

Shadow's grin deepened, "Well I came from Pussy's Gulch just east of here, and I had to walk the rest of the way."

A hundred questions jumped to the elder mouse's lips, "Just yourself, with no guide, how did get past the beasts of the desert, who told you about this place?"

Shadow interrupted, "Whoa, Whoa, easy there sir. Truth be told I would love to spend I nice relaxing night telling you all of my stories, but the problem I face is that I need five more laborers to complete my so called recruitment trip. I am regrettably rushed due to the fact that my train leaves at dawn."

As Shadow finished explaining his predicament, a sleepy Tiger ungracefully shuffled into the atrium. "No one causes trouble in my town" Tiger lisped as he pointed to the only clean thing on his body.

"Ah…" said Shadow "So you are the sheriff in this fine town." Tiger let out a goofy smile of pride. "I am sorry sheriff to cause any disturbance in your town at this late hour, but I am in desperate need of some workers and frankly time is getting more scarce by the second."

Tiger offered what he thought was a rebuttal, "but you see it's very late, you will have to go on your way." Tiger added a strong "Hmmph" and crossed his arms.

Shadow feared he was losing his audience and addressed the room in a surprisingly desperate sounding plea, "Now listen here, I have given you the golden chance you have been looking for. I need five of you tonight and who knows if your kin work hard and fly right I might return to this town for more labor. Now who is going to climb on my back and ride to their destiny?"

This last speech worked beautifully. It finally dawned on the mice that space to freedom was extremely limited, and even if this stranger's motives were suspicious it was much better than dying of starvation in this ghost town. As soon as one mouse started moving forward it became a free for all as mice jumped at Shadow begging to be chosen.

Tiger tending to his official duties stepped in, "break it up, break it up, everyone calm down."

"Thank you sheriff" Shadow replied. "Now that I have all the volunteers I need, I now must see who is the best of you lot." Shadow had immeasurable experience in these matters and quickly selected 5 young mice.

Tiger deemed it his responsibility to announce the selections. "The mice who are leaving us are the twins Nicky and Rickie, Jennie, Tanya, and Fievel." All young mice that looked nothing like hard laborers especially given their atrophied state.

The families whose children were called felt a mixed feeling of relief and apprehension as they prepared to send their children into the night for another life. Papa Mousekewitz brought out his violin and started playing the family song. Tears filled his eyes as gave his final goodbyes to his children. It was almost impossible for him to believe that the children that he had sacrificed so deeply to protect were now leaving at such short notice. "I wish your mother was here to see you leave this horrible place."

Tiger was coming over to say goodbye to his best mouse buddy when he overheard the mention of Mrs. Mousekewitz. He added, "I wish I could of saved of your mother Fievel, but the vultures were just too fast for me."

Fievel sobbed into his father's chest.

Tiger realizing what he just did pulled the mice to his now sunken belly. " I am going to miss ya buddy, I know you will do just great in that new place you're going and I bet we will see each other again someday soon." Tiger tears began to wash over them and they squirmed to break free of his grip.

Fievel looked up at his father, "Papa I will protect Tanya just like you would and work really hard so that Mr. Shadow will come back and get you and the rest of the town."

Pride swelled in Mr. Mousekewitz's heart as he said, "I am sure you will son, I am sure you will."

As the goodbyes began to drag on, Shadow gave out a whistle and called his new companions to attention. "Alright no more time to waste, on my back!" The young mice climbed on and with a quick kick of dust they disappeared into the desert night.


End file.
